To think that is a miracle that gp's can suddenly diagnose and treat patients over the phone?

[thewinchesters]

For the past 5 days I've had abdominal pain, bloating, and a couple of other symptoms. I spoke to my gp over the phone who diagnosed me with a uti and sent antibiotics to the pharmacy.

They're not making any difference so far (day 3) and the pain and bloating is getting worse.

For the sake of a simple urine test, or even just a quick appointment where the gp checks my actual body, I don't understand how we're at the point of now just guessing and hoping for the best!

Why haven't they resumed normal service??

My mother needed her ears syringed because she actually can't hear because of wax build up. Was told by surgery they don[t syringe ears anymore. I phoned and insisted they did something as she is in her mid eighties and her hearing aids wouldn't work because clogged up with wax. They gave her an appointment with a nurse. The nurse wasn't trained to do it so they sent her away.

Why don’t you just google ‘ear syringing’ and the town your mum lives in? There will be loads of places that do it.

This is a great example of the problem, GPs have done this historically, now they’re expected to do everything they’ve always done plus all the new emerging things, for more patients, with fewer staff.

When someone can’t get an appt for early detection for cancer or for something else serious, that’s likely because they’re dealing with a hell of a lot of these lower level issues. They can’t physically do everything, so maybe we need to understand that and take some positive action to address that issue.

I think another poster referred to fexofenadine now being available OTC earlier on the thread which made me wonder why this doesn’t apply to more medication. I used to have to get a GP appointment to get this despite using it every year for goodness knows how long.

Similarly, I have a recurring skin issue crop up maybe twice a year which needs a prescription only cream meaning another GP appointment.

Thats three appointments in a year which aren’t really needed because I know the problem and how to treat it. Not much in the grand scheme of things but if it’s repeated over many patients then that time adds up.

DW fell down the stairs in her third trimester. GP insisted, over the phone, that she was fine. She broke her arm.

Ok I am going to ask why someone would call their GP if they fell down some stairs heavily pregnant and not go and get themselves and their baby checked out at the antenatal ward or A&E?

what do some people think GP’s are actually capable of? Whipping out an X-ray machine or ultrasound scanner?

ear syringing has been found to actually cause more harm than good so they have introduced a new thing called micro suction which is very expensive machinery and staff aren’t trained in it. GP surgeries are not obliged to do this.

It suggest to me either that they can't really diagnose you over the phone, or the diagnostic process was all smoke and mirrors in the first place.

Don't know about others but when I used to see GPs they would be Googling away and didn't seem to know much about anything beyond prescribing the latest drug which a pharmaceutical rep had instructed them to.

You are aware that blocked ears actually cause quite serious hearing problems? I used to get it a lot as a teenager and would go deaf. Great as someone who is also visually impaired. And the last time it happened, I was left with really sensitive hearing which didn't resolve itself (and still hasn't 10 years later) after using ear drops.

I do remember years ago, asking for an appointment as I was having sinus trouble. I was given a phone appointment, which was useless. How can you see what I've done to my nose over the phone?

I have seen that you can get your ears syringed for about £50. Who has that amount of spare money these days? I certainly don't.

They’re getting away with it, that’s why. Hiding behind covid.

What is it, specifically, they are getting away with? can you actually put this into a context as I am really interested to know.

I can’t see why a group of professionals who studied and trained for a decade, much of which was at their own cost (repaying student loans for years), sacrificing their family life to train and study are trying to pull as fast one so that every day they go into work, people shout at them and say things like ‘I pay your wages’ and ‘if I die it’s all your fault’. Is it for the status of having Dr in front of their name? Is it funny stories to tell at dinner parties? Is it an illness only GP’s suffer from and no other kind of doctor? Are hospital consultants completely different and not pulling fast ones, even though most of them have private practices and also work part time for the NHS? Is it just to take money from the government and walk off laughing on their private jet to Barbados?

Why would you contact your GP for a fall?

Exactly. I had a fall 5 years ago and went to minor injuries. I was told that I was fine and if I did have any problems, to speak to my GP. Which I had to do as I couldn't lay flat without the room spinning.

I contacted my GP surgery because I had a small under the skin lump that hadn't gone away over a few weeks and appeared to get slightly bigger. I wanted the GP to look at it.

They gave me a telephone appointment.

First thing the doctor said after I told them I had a lump was 'well it's hard to tell over the phone...' Well, obviously 🙄

Then said I could come in for an in person appointment if I wanted (?!) the same day, I was given a choice of ANY time (so I guess they had nothing much else booked in?)

Honestly, what part of 'I want the gp to look at my growing lump' sounded like it needed a telephone triage?

usually the benefit of phone calls Is that they can fit you in for a face to face during that clinic, because other people are going to be phoned not stood in front of them or in the waiting room?
precovid all everyone would do was moan on here about sitting in a waiting room for an hour each time. You don’t have to do that now as they can fit calls around the face to face. Moaning that they called and saw you in the same day? I see you have made a wild assumption they have nothing better to do all day (apart from call people and bring them in)

When sit and wait was still happening, people would queue up with their DVLA and housing request forms. There has to be some way to filter out those requests

Except that they shouldn't have telephoned me at all. I should have been given an in person appointment from the start. Instead I was given a telephone appointment that I had to wait 2 weeks for, to then be rushed in (and last minute out of work) that day. I'm glad they saw me, but it was a waste of their time to even try a call first.

Telephone consultations have their place but they shouldn't replace all in person appointments, which at the moment and for my GP, they have!

My children have only been see by the GP for the past 2 years when I insist during their telephone appointments.

My mother (same GP) has now had an urgent referral to a clinic about a pain and lump in her breast, that she has been telling the GP about for months over the phone. This only resulted in a referral once they finally brought her in to be examined.

I don't mind waiting in person for my appointments, I would rather wait an hour (or two) to be told I am fine (or not and referred) that become seriously ill because I wasn't physically seen.

GPs are able to pick up on so much more in person than a patient can necessarily tell them over the phone.

I don't like the phone calls, because they call you at any time, at their convenience. This just doesn't work for me, because of work commitments. I can't answer the phone at any time - it's against company rules and would cause me real problems. The surgery doesn't seem to realise that other people work.
But the doctors have been seeing people. I had something which could have been cancerous (turned out not to be), and after looking at the photo I sent through the doctor asked me to come in. I was then asked to come in again for a check a few weeks later.

I think for people who have a history it's a good option alongside a urine dip test and culture.

For example I suffer uti's. Not often but my symptoms are obvious and I know when it's a uti. A phone call and antibiotics are perfect for me but my Gp also take a sample dropped off.

In your case I really don't think that sounds like proper diagnosis and treatment - especially in the absence of any actual culture or even a simple dip test.

Hope you feel better soon.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I'm so sorry as it's not funny at all but the shear ridiculousness of that situation did make me giggle as it sums it up perfectly how a one size fits all approach just doesn't work.

Phone apts are great when it's for something that can clearly be done over the phone.

For new or hearing - not so much.

My 10 yr old dd has just been diagnosed with Asthma over the phone tonight..Not even a mention of seeing her.chuck an inhailor at her tomorrow when the chemist opens and see how she goes...

Some people just have no sense of humour.

And another one.
As I have said on previous threads - if you want to see a GP join a golf club.

People need to realise the whole NHS is in its knees. Things are going to get worse for a very long time, due to lack of funding, tens of thousands of vacancies, which cannot be filled as so many left due to Brexit and Covid. We are up shit creek without a paddle and I think Drs, mostly who are working under huge pressure, need our support rather than a bashing.

It is going to get really, really bad.

i don’t think you’ve taken on board that they didn’t dip your urjne because it’s not recommended as it isn’t diagnostic for infection it’s better to go on symptoms. What were your ‘other symptoms’? If the antibiotics haven’t worked then just give them a call and yes, they should see you.

These threads make me really sad and quite angry at the same time.

I’ve done a 10.5 hour day today (only paid and contracted for 9 hours). And I’m only a nurse practitioner, not a GP. When I left at 1845 my GPs were still working, and they’d got in slightly before me. We work through our lunch breaks.

I’m so tired. Whatever we do it’s never enough.

A patient shouted at me on the phone because I couldn’t get him in for his travel jabs before he goes. He called today. He flies on Monday.

A patient shouted at me because the pharmacist can’t source her medication. I offered to prescribe an alternative but she didn’t want that, she wanted what she used to have. Which is unavailable.

Luckily most patients are lovely. But the minority who have unrealistic expectations and are verbally abusive make the job so hard.

I mean look at some of the examples on this thread. Why would you ask the GP for a hearing test? They don’t do hearing tests. Why would you insist on seeing someone for ear syringing after being told we no longer can offer ear syringing? Why would you call the GP if your heavily pregnant wife fell down the stairs?

We’re not an emergency service. And we can’t offer things we are not contracted to do.

They’re taking the piss.

Teachers taught online during lockdown, but now they’re back at school. Just because something CAN be done over the online or over the phone doesn’t mean it should be.

I wouldn’t mind if we had a genuine telephone triage as a gateway to getting a face to face appointment, but my surgery are so obviously actively trying to avoid any human interaction, let alone in-person appointments and I don’t understand why?! I have to fill out a long winded online form before they will give me a telephone appointment. Forget face to face. It’s a joke.